變成一個吸血鬼有什麼壞處嗎？我曾經認真想過這個問題。變成吸血鬼的話，那就有無限多的時間學習語言，可以閱讀世界上各式各樣的書，也可以不著急，慢慢地收集喜歡的唱片了。除了血這個小小的問題之外，一切都很好。只能在夜晚活動，這絕對是好處大於壞處。
後來，我才知道Jim Jarmusch拍過一齣以吸血鬼為題材的電影。電影的名字是Only Lovers Left Alive，故事描繪了一對離群索居的吸血鬼戀人。Tom Hiddleston飾演的男吸血鬼阿當隱居在底特律，一邊收集各種樂器、黑膠唱片和播放器，一邊寫著哀傷的樂曲。Tilda Swinton飾演的依娃（這選角實在太完美了）居住在摩洛哥Tangier，身邊總是圍繞著不同語言的書本。
活了那麼久，到了21世紀了。阿當覺得眼前的世界愈來愈陌生，不喜歡也無法融入，所以他萌生了自殺的念頭。對了，所以得到永生最大的挑戰，是要面對永恆的無聊，以及愈來愈離你而去的世界。假若不再喜歡這個世界，即使不是，也無法快樂起來吧。
由SQÜRL（成員有導演本人，以及Carter Logan）主理的音樂憂鬱、情緒化、底層的電結他則帶來穩定而逐漸展開的節奏，令人彷彿身處空曠荒蕪的底特律夜晚。在短暫的前奏〈底特律的街道〉（Streets of Detroit）之後，是與Madeline Follin合作的〈愛的漏斗〉（Funnel of Love）。在低鳴冰冷的電結他之間，傳來Follin狡猾、邪惡的歌聲，簡直像血一樣甜美得無話說。
電影開始一幕，隨著這首歌，鏡頭緩慢旋轉，在Chesterfield 梳化上的阿當、書本包圍下的依娃，和唱片機上的黑膠之間不斷切換，就像三個主角：男人、女人和音樂跟隨著漏斗不斷旋轉，不斷下沉：
我開始了 Here I go
墜落，深深地墜落 Falling down, down, down
我的腦袋一片空白 My mind is a blank
頭髗旋轉 My head is spinning around and around,
隨著愛的漏斗，不斷下沉 As I go deep into the funnel of love
專輯中間3首歌曲也美得不可思議。接近6分鐘的〈血的滋味〉（The Taste of Blood），由SQÜRL的金屬感和Jozef Van Wissem的古典弦樂交織而成，不斷重覆的節奏使人恍神，彷彿伴隨著優雅的吸血鬼們，將鮮紅的血液倒進高腳杯中，慢慢品嚐著世界上最好的事物般，並為之迷醉。
〈鑽石行星〉（Diamond Star）與之相反，只有1分鐘，節奏疏離，像撥動著某種不屬於地球的金屬所發出的聲音般。這是我最喜歡的一幕。阿當和依娃駕駛著跑車，在荒蕪的底特律大街奔馳。依娃對陷入憂鬱的阿當說：「你知道嗎？在宇宙，有一顆像鑽石一樣大的行星。它是一顆崩塌、壓縮後的白矮星。它不只是一顆閃耀的鑽石，還會發出巨大的敲打音樂。」
「嗯……我真想知道它聽起來是怎樣。」阿當回答。
Jim Jarmusch曾經說，每當陷入憂鬱，它就會想起那些他還未聽過的音樂。看著這幕時，想像在夜晚的星空，掛著一顆迪斯可球，不過它的材料是鑽石，每個晚上演奏著沒有人聽見的音樂，憂鬱的心情的確稍稍緩解。
最後兩首，〈唯愛永生〉（Only Lovers Left Alive ）和〈這就是你的荒原〉（This Is Your Wilderness） ，就像訴說著這部電影的終結。沒有愛，其實你是無法面對永恆的。換言之，是否真的得到永生不再重要。至於面對無法喜歡的世界，我們只可將其視為荒原，踏下油門一直奔馳下去。
What are the downsides of becoming a vampire? I’ve thought about this question quite seriously. If I turned into a vampire, I’d have endless time to learn new languages and read all sorts of books; I could take my sweet time collecting my favourite records. Aside from the minor issue of a thirst for blood, everything sounds pretty great. Being nocturnal is surely more of a benefit than a drawback.
Later, I discovered that Jim Jarmusch has made a film about vampires called Only Lovers Left Alive. The story follows a pair of reclusive vampire lovers. Tom Hiddleston plays Adam, a vampire hiding out in Detroit, collecting various instruments, vinyl records, and writing melancholic music. Tilda Swinton plays Eve (the casting is just perfect), who lives in Tangier, Morocco, surrounded by books in different languages.
Having lived for so long, Adam finds the 21st century increasingly alienating and feels disconnected from the world around him, leading him to contemplate suicide. So it turns out that the greatest challenge of immortality is facing eternal boredom and a world that keeps drifting away from you. If you stop enjoying this world, it’s hard to find happiness.
The music by SQÜRL (featuring the director himself and Carter Logan) brings a melancholic, emotional vibe with its steady and gradually unfolding rhythms, making you feel like you’re wandering through the desolate nights of Detroit. After a brief intro with “Streets of Detroit”, we dive into “Funnel of Love”, featuring Madeline Follin’s sly and wicked vocals that are as sweet as blood itself.
As the film opens with this song, the camera slowly spins between Adam lounging on a Chesterfield sofa, Eve surrounded by books, and vinyl records spinning on the turntable — like three main characters: man, woman, and music swirling down into a funnel:
Here I go
Falling down, down, down
My mind is a blank
My head is spinning around and around,
As I go deep into the funnel of love
The next three tracks on the album are incredibly beautiful. “The Taste of Blood”, nearly six minutes long, intertwines SQÜRL’s metallic sound with Jozef Van Wissem’s classical strings. The repetitive rhythm lulls you into a trance as if you’re elegantly pouring bright red blood into a goblet and savouring the finest things in life.
In contrast, “Diamond Star” is only one minute long with an alienating rhythm that sounds like some otherworldly metal being strummed. This is also my favourite scene: as Adam and Eve speed through the desolate streets of Detroit in a sports car, Eve tells Adam, who is sinking into despair, “Did you know there’s a planet out there as big as a diamond? It’s a collapsed white dwarf star. Not only does it shine like a diamond, but it also produces massive rhythmic music.”
“Hmm… I really wonder what it sounds like,” Adam replies.
Jim Jarmusch once said that whenever he feels depressed, he thinks of all the music he hasn’t yet heard. Watching this scene, I imagine a disco ball made of diamonds, hanging in the night sky and playing music that no one can hear — a slight relief from melancholia.
The last two tracks, “Only Lovers Left Alive” and “This Is Your Wilderness”, seem to narrate the film’s conclusion: without love, you can’t truly face eternity. In other words, whether you achieve immortality becomes less important. As for facing a world you can’t enjoy? One can only see it as a wasteland and step on the gas.
